Coordinating images displayed on devices with two or more displays

A phone handset or other hand-held device with two or more displays, said device comprising:

• one direct-view display and one microdisplay, in which device when a first display is displaying first content having items that can be selected or typed in, one of such items is in-focus;
• controls operable by a user to (1) cause one of the displays to display first content that includes one or more references to other content, and (2) cause that referred-to content to be displayed in one of the other displays, wherein the item in-focus can be changed by the user typing, depressing buttons, speaking, or using other controls on the device, and in which, as the focus changes, if the microdisplay is displaying an image, the image shown in the microdisplay auto-scrolls to keep the in-focus item in view, and, if the direct-view display is displaying an image, the image shown in the direct-view display auto-scrolls to keep the in-focus item in view;
• controls operable by a user that cause, if the device has prepared an image having one item in-focus for display in the microdisplay, a subset of said image surrounding the in-focus item to be displayed in the direct-view display;
• and
• a computer processor in which both said item in-focus in said microdisplay and said image subset displayed in the direct-view display can be changed by software running on said computer processor within the device.

A phone handset or other hand-held device which displays images, said device comprising:

• two or more displays for displaying said images and control elements for controlling said displays, wherein a user can operate said control elements to cause a microdisplay to display an image and cause a direct-view display to display a region of interest subset of said image, the microdisplay displaying a relatively high-resolution large apparent image and the direct-view display being a low-resolution bit-map direct-view display, said direct view display acting as a window into said larger apparent image, said device being capable of displaying a subset of said image in at least one of said displays and further having at least one of the group consisting of (1) a plurality of face-keys capable of being depressed by a user to generate text typed into a text-entry field shown on said one or more displays, and (2) arrow keys or other controls which, when actuated by a user, change said text-entry point, wherein if the text-entry point moves out of the subset of said image visible in any given display, then that display will automatically scroll the image so that the text-entry entry point will reappear in that display;
• controls operable by a user to move the borders of said region of interest subset displayed in the direct-view display down or up or right or left or other directions across the image displayed in the microdisplay;
• and
• face-keys for entering text, the image is a document or Web Page and, as the user operates said face-keys to enter text into said document or Web page, the subset of the document or Web Page that includes the text-entry point is automatically scrolled into view in both the direct view display and the microdisplay, wherein the subset displayed in the direct-view display is an area of bits containing all or part of the current in-focus area of the image displayed in the microdisplay.

A computer implemented process generating codes for interpreting the operation of control elements on a phone handset or other hand-held device which displays images, the control elements including first controls capable of operation by a user to display that attachment in the microdisplay, the control elements further including second control elements which, when activated by the user, display an indication in the direct-view display that indicates to the user that the attachment has been opened and is being displayed in the microdisplay and said codes effecting such display of such indication in response to said activation, said codes effecting such display of such attachment in response to operation of said second controls, said process operating on functions transmitted remotely from said device, wherein such functions are selected from the group consisting of the function is taken from the group of functions consisting of instant messaging, email, contact management, schedule maintenance, calculation functions, placing telephone calls, viewing Internet content, and viewing other types of documents, at least one of said functions being displayed in the direct-view display, wherein the displayed function includes an attachment that can be displayed in the microdisplay, said phone handset or other device having (1) a face, said face having two or more displays for displaying said images, wherein at least one display is a direct-view display or a microdisplay, and (2) control elements operable by the user for controlling said displays, said codes effecting visual changes on one or more of the displays in response to such operation, wherein said control elements include a distance sensor, said codes effecting displaying said attachment in the microdisplay in response to the user bringing said distance sensor to the user's eye, the attachment being an attachment taken from the group of attachments consisting of a Web page URL or a photo image, a spreadsheet, a presentation, an Adobe Acrobat file, a Word Processor document, and other types of content;

• said phone handset or other hand-held device further including a menu button and, if a user depresses said menu button while said distance sensor senses that the microdisplay on said device is close to an object, then the device will display a menu on the microdisplay, and otherwise the device will display said menu on the direct-view display.

A computer implemented process generating codes for interpreting the operation of control elements on a phone handset or other hand-held device which displays images, said phone handset or other device comprise:

• two or more displays for displaying said images, the microdisplay displaying a relatively high-resolution large apparent image, the direct-view display is a low-resolution bit-map direct-view display, said direct-view display acting as a window into said larger apparent image;
• control elements for controlling said displays, wherein a user can operate said control elements to cause a first display to display an image and cause a second display to display a region of interest subset of said image, and said codes effect displaying of said subset in response to the operation of said control elements, wherein said codes effecting said subset of said image are being so displayed in response to the operation of said third controls, said control elements further including third controls operable by a user to cause, if the device has prepared an image having one item in-focus for display in the microdisplay, a subset of said image surrounding the in-focus item to be displayed in the direct-view display, and the item in-focus can be changed by the user typing, depressing buttons, speaking, or using other controls on the device, and in which, as the focus changes, if the microdisplay is displaying an image, the image shown in the microdisplay auto-scrolls to keep the in-focus item in view, and, if the direct-view display is displaying an image, the image shown in the direct-view display auto-scrolls to keep the in-focus item in view, the device being capable of displaying a subset of said image in at least one of said displays and further having at least one of the group consisting of (1) a plurality of face-keys capable of being depressed by a user to generate text typed into a text-entry field shown on said one or more displays, and (2) arrow keys or other controls which, when actuated by a user, change said text-entry point, wherein if the text-entry point moves out of the subset of said image visible in any given display, then said codes effect said any given display automatically scrolling the image so that the text-entry point will reappear in said any given display;
• a first display being a microdisplay and a second display being a direct-view display, and a subset of said control elements being operable by a user to move the borders of said region of interest subset displayed in the direct-view display down or up or right or left or other directions across the image displayed in the microdisplay, said codes effecting said movement of said borders in response to the operation of said subset of said control elements, and the subset displayed in the direct-view display is an area of bits containing all or part of the current in-focus area of the image displayed in the microdisplay;
• a microphone and voice recognition software that allows a user to cause the in-focus item to be changed from one selectable item to another one by the user speaking into the device, said codes effecting said change in response to the user so speaking;
• and
• face-keys operable by a user to enter text, the image is a document or Web Page having a text entry point, said codes effecting the subset of the document or Web Page that includes the text-entry point being automatically scrolled into view in both the direct-view display and the microdisplay in response to the user operating said face-keys to enter text into said document or Web page.

A storage medium having embedded therein a computer implemented process generating codes for interpreting the operation of control elements on a phone handset or other hand-held device which displays images, wherein said control elements include a distance sensor and first controls capable of operation by a user to display that attachment in the microdisplay, said control elements further including second control elements which, when activated by the user, display an indication in the direct-view display that indicates to the user that the attachment has been opened and is being displayed in the microdisplay and said codes effecting such display of such indication in response to said activation, said codes effecting such display of such attachment in response to operation of said second controls, said codes effecting displaying said attachment in the microdisplay in response to the user bringing said distance sensor to the user's eye, the attachment being an attachment taken from the group of attachments consisting of a Web page URL or a photo image, a spreadsheet, a presentation, an Adobe Acrobat file, a Word Processor document, and other types of content, said phone handset or other device operating on functions transmitted remotely from said device, wherein such functions are selected from the group consisting of instant messaging, email, contact management, schedule maintenance, calculation functions, placing telephone calls, viewing Internet content, and viewing other types of documents, and at least one of said functions is displayed in the direct-view display, and the displayed function includes an attachment that can be displayed in the microdisplay, said device comprising:

• a face, said face having two or more displays for displaying said images, wherein at least one display is a direct-view display or a microdisplay;
• and
• control elements operable by a user for controlling said displays, said code effecting visual changes on one or more of the displays in response to such operation.

A storage medium having embedded therein a computer implemented process generating codes for interpreting the operation of control elements on a phone handset or other hand-held device which displays images, said phone handset or other device:

• two or more displays for displaying said images, the microdisplay displaying a relatively high-resolution large apparent image, the direct-view display is a low-resolution bit-map direct-view display, said direct-view display acting as a window into said larger apparent image;
• control elements for controlling said displays, wherein a user can operate said control elements to cause a first display to display an image and cause a second display to display a region of interest subset of said image, and said codes effect displaying of said subset in response to the operation of said control elements, wherein said codes effecting said subset of said image are being so displayed in response to the operation of said third controls, said control elements include third controls operable by a user to cause, if the device, has prepared an image having one item in-focus for display in the microdisplay, a subset of said image surrounding the in-focus item to be displayed in the direct-view display, said codes effecting said subset of said image being so displayed in response to the operation of said third controls, and the item in-focus can be changed by the user typing, depressing buttons, speaking, or using other controls on the device, and in which, as the focus changes, if the microdisplay is displaying an image, the image shown in the microdisplay auto-scrolls to keep the in-focus item in view, and, if the direct-view display is displaying an image, the image shown in the direct-view display auto-scrolls to keep the in-focus item in view, the device being capable of displaying a subset of said image in at least one of said displays and further having at least one of the group consisting of (1) a plurality of face-keys operable by a user to enter text, the image is a document or Web Page having a text entry point, said codes effecting the subset of the document or Web Page that includes the text-entry point being automatically scrolled into view in both the direct-view display and the microdisplay in response to the user operating said face-keys to enter text into said document or Web page, and (2) arrow keys or other controls which, when actuated by a user, change said text-entry point, wherein if the text-entry point moves out of the subset of said image visible in any given display, then said codes effect said any given display automatically scrolling the image so that the text-entry point will reappear in said any given display;
• a first display being a microdisplay and a second display being a direct-view display, and a subset of said control elements being operable by a user to move the borders of said region of interest subset displayed in the direct-view display down or up or right or left or other directions across the image displayed in the microdisplay, said codes effecting said movement of said borders in response to the operation of said subset of said control elements, and the subset displayed in the direct-view display is an area of bits containing all or part of the current in-focus area of the image displayed in the microdisplay;
• a microphone and voice recognition software that allows a user to cause the item in-focus to be changed from one selectable item to another one by the user speaking into the device, said codes effecting said change in response to the user so speaking;
• and
• a computer processor in which both said item in-focus in said microdisplay and said image subset displayed in the direct-view display can be changed by software running on said computer processor.